HatjeCantz Hatje Cantz | fotoblog

Nadine Barth

Nadine Barth is a curator and publicist and organises international exhibitions. She curates the photo book program for Hatje Cantz.

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Olaf Otto BeckerNature Trail

30

Sep 2014

Visitors to a giant glasshouse—known, like the famous internet server, as “The Cloud”—walk along modern nature trails and past a forty-meter-high artificial waterfall, encountering nature by means of modern communication technology. This is a nature guaranteed free of leeches, spiders, and snakes, where the sounds of birds and cicadas are played through hidden loudspeakers, and where the crocodiles and giant tortoises are carved out of wood. In the video room you can spend a few minutes in air-conditioned comfort while watching a film loop showing colorful charts and facts about the horrors of environmental destruction. Once you’ve had enough of this, warm steam rising from hidden jets will gently transport you to the tropics as you take your leave. Bouquets of plants mounted on concrete walls, something that nature itself could never have come up with, invite contemplation of the natural world. In the lavatories near the exit, lotus blossom-shaped urinals, floral wallpaper, and recorded birdsong ensure your visit finishes in a relaxing atmosphere.